Fear of Falling
by YourArtMatters23
Summary: Lydia and Stiles fly back to Beacon Hills after a trip to New York with Allison and Scott. The only problem is Lydias fear of flying... But extreme situations usually make the truth come out... Stydia!


**Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Wolf or any of the characters!**

 **AN: Soooo, this is a one shot that I wrote and wanted to post. I hope you like it! Please review and if you haven't already please check out my other story "Trip to Love"!**

 **I'm currently writing another story that I will post in a few weeks probably. So keep an eye out for that as well!**

 **And now enjoy the story :)**

"You're going to be fine, Lydia, I promise!" Stiles said for the umpteenth time while they were finally boarding the plane. After spending a few weeks driving to New York with Scott and Allison, Stiles and Lydia were now flying home to Beacon Hills alone  
and Lydia was terrified. Allison and Scott were visiting some friends of Allison's and so it was just Stiles and Lydia showing their passports before entering the plane and Lydia was freaking out.

She had almost refused to come on the trip when she had found out that they were supposed to take the plane back. Since Allison and Scott still needed the car, Stiles and Lydia had no other option than flying. Well, except for taking the bus but that  
would take way too long. Somehow Allison had convinced Lydia to come on the trip anyway and Stiles was so grateful. He wouldn't have liked to go on a trip with just Allison and Scott as the third wheel and well, it was Lydia, so of course he wanted  
her to come.

The trip had been just as great as they had all imagined it would be. Surprisingly, their money had lasted long enough to get them to New York without having to spend a night in the car, like they had always joked about.

But the closer they got to the date of their flight, the more nervous Lydia got. They all knew that she was afraid of flying but he didn't think it was this bad. As they had waited for boarding, Lydia had only stared straight ahead and now, as they were  
walking into the aircraft, Stiles saw that she was shaking.

Surprised and a little shocked he took her hand in his and squeezed gently, earning himself a small, anxious smile from the strawberry blonde girl in front of him. They found their seats and Lydia sat down in the window seat and Stiles settled in next  
to her, hoping that the seat next to him would stay vacant.

"Do you want to keep your bag with you or do you want me to put it in the overhead locker?" Stiles asked gently and Lydia just shook her head. Stiles assumed that that meant she wanted to keep it as she was holding onto it as if it was her lifeline. He  
took their coats, placed them in the lockers and sat back down next to Lydia.

He felt totally helpless as he was watching her clutching her bag and staring out the window. He still couldn't believe that she was afraid of flying. She fought against werewolves for god's sake!

They had talked about it a lot when they had wanted to convince Lydia to come on the trip. They had repeatedly explained that flying was safer than driving in a car and even though she obviously already knew that, she was still terrified.

"Miss, I need you to place your bag under the seat in front of you, please, or I can put it in the overhead locker for you if you like." The Stewardess pulled Lydia out of her trance and she looked at the Stewardess with wide eyes before looking at Stiles.

Stiles nodded to the Stewardess discreetly and turned to Lydia as the Stewardess left.

"Lydia, you have to let go of your bag for take-off, okay?" He told her gently and tried to take it out of her grasp but she was holding on tightly.

"No, no, I... I need it!" Stiles didn't think he had ever heard Lydia stammer before. Like ever.

"I'm sorry Lydia, but you can't keep it for take-off. You can..." Stiles looked around frantically for something else she could hold on to but he couldn't find anything suitable. "You can hold on to my arm instead!"

Stiles blushed a little when she gaped at him but she released the tight grasp she had had on the bag. Stiles took it from her and placed it next to her feet.

He noticed how much more space there was at Lydia's feet than there was at his feet because she was so much smaller than him. And right now, curled in on herself, she looked even smaller.

Stiles didn't know if he should offer her his arm but she seemed to be doing well enough without it so he didn't.

"Boarding completed", was announced and Lydia started fidgeting with her hands. Stiles cursed inwardly at the announcement. She had just calmed down a little and now that ounce of calm was gone again.

"Hey, look, we have to whole row to ourselves!" Stiles said with as much cheeriness in his voice as he could muster but Lydia couldn't have cared less. She had much bigger problems.

Stiles noticed that Lydia hadn't buckled her seatbelt yet and since she was already anxious he thought now was as good a time as any to mention it.

Lydia slowly took both parts of the seatbelt into her hands and tried to close it but her fingers were shaking so much that she couldn't do it. Stiles gently took her seatbelt from her and closed it, before taking her hands in his.

"Lydia, you'll be fine, I promise! I'll be here the entire time, okay?" Lydia looked him straight in the eyes that held so much concern and for a moment she got a little lost in them before nodding.

Stiles leaned back into his seat again and removed his hands from hers but Lydia pulled his right arm back and held onto it tightly. Even though Stiles knew that it was not a pleasant situation at all, he couldn't help but feel happy about Lydia clinging  
to him.

Cabin crew, please prepare for take-off.

Lydia tightened her grasp around Stiles' arm and tried not to start shaking again. Stiles could see her concentrating really hard and put his spare hand over her hands for comfort.

He knew he just had to help her through take-off and then she would probably calm down eventually when they were flying through the air smoothly. Landing would certainly be another issue for her but he hoped that the prospect of being back on the ground  
would help her get through that.

The plane started rolling and Stiles saw their plane was the next to take off. Stiles didn't know how to help Lydia other than the physical comfort he was already offering. So he decided he would do what he did best: talking. Maybe he could distract her  
from the fact that they were lifting off the ground by talking to her.

"So, did Allison tell you what happened at Scott and her anniversary before we left for New York?" Stiles started and Lydia nodded.

"Yeah, I should have known that Allison told you... it was pretty embarrassing for Scott when he ran into the waiter and made him drop all the food on this girl..."

Lydia almost smiled but before her lips were forming a real smile she seemed to remember her current situation. Even though he hadn't really made her smile he took her almost-smile as a good sign and continued talking.

"Well, at least it makes for a great story to tell at their wedding or to their kids. Because I'm sure they will get married someday, you know! I mean, anyone can see that just by looking at them. They are perfect for each other and I'm really happy for  
them, really, I am, but I'm also jealous to be honest."

Stiles knew he was rambling but the plane was picking up speed and he knew they were taking off any second now but somehow Lydia was listening to him and didn't seem to notice what was happening. And even though he had never had the intention of telling  
anyone about his jealousy, he couldn't stop now because somehow it was actually helping Lydia.

"I want to have what they have, you know? I know it's cheesy but I want to have someone to talk to until I fall asleep and wait for her at her locker and make her feel better when she is sad and hold doors open for her and all that stuff. And I've never  
had that before. Well, it probably doesn't help that I've been in love with the same person since the third grade. And it surely isn't helpful that she has made it crystal clear that she is not interested in me for about a thousand times, but you  
can't control who you love..."

For the past couple of minutes Stiles hadn't even realised what he was saying. He had just explained his feelings and stared at his hands, but when he looked up as he was saying "you can't change who you love" he was looking into Lydia's wide eyes and  
only then realised that he had just said all of that to HER.

She had obviously already known that he is in love with her, but he had never used these exact words in front of her. Lydia just kept staring at him and he didn't know what to say anymore. Stiles Stilinski was speechless.

"Umm... Oh look, the screens are working", Stiles exclaimed a little too loudly and Lydia stared at him a little longer, before turning her gaze onto the small screen in front of her.

"I thought they only started working when we are in the air..." Lydia said confused. Suddenly her eyes widened when she realized what that meant and she looked out the window. They were just below the clouds and Lydia could see all the tiny houses and  
roads.

She scooted closer to Stiles and slowly pulled his arm to her again that she had let go of sometime during his rambling. Before the panic could rise again, they were in the clouds and all Lydia could see was white. Not seeing how far up in the air they  
were seemed to help.

"Let's watch a movie! That will get your mind off of flying", Stiles suggested and Lydia nodded.

After bickering for much too long, Stiles finally gave in and they watched the new Nicholas Sparks movie. They watched in silence for a few minutes and Stiles felt Lydia fidget in her seat.

He could see that she wasn't comfortable and her eyes kept darting out the window nervously even though they were still in the clouds. Stiles wasn't comfortable either. Especially the arm Lydia was holding was hurting quite badly because the armrest was  
cutting into his skin.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Lydia complained when Stiles paused the movie.

"We are making ourselves comfortable now! We still have four hours of the flight left and I don't think my arm would even survive just one", Stiles joked and Lydia let go of his arm apologetically.

"I'm going to use the bathroom quickly", Lydia announced and Stiles took the opportunity to make everything as comfortable as possible. He took their coats out of the overhead locker and laid one of them on top of the window seat. He folded the armrests  
up and sat down.

He sat down in the window seat to prevent Lydia from looking outside and waited for her to come back. When she got back she stopped in front of their row, looked down at Stiles and raised an eyebrow. Stiles grinned up at her and patted the spot next to  
him.

Lydia sat down and scooted closer to Stiles when he held out his arm. He pulled her even closer and he thought he saw her blush. Lydia put her feet onto the empty seat and settled into Stiles' side. He rested his hands around her waist and started the  
movie the again.

Even though his back was hurting and his neck was starting to feel stiff from looking at the screen from a weird angle, Stiles had never been more comfortable in his life. He didn't really pay attention to the movie but watched Lydia. About an hour into  
the second movie he saw her falling asleep and he smiled to himself. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping. After a few minutes, when he was sure she was really asleep, he gave into his urge and leaned his head down to press a kiss onto her  
head. He lingered there for a few seconds before placing another quick kiss there and leaning back into his seat.

Suddenly, Lydia turned her head and looked at him with wide eyes. Stiles panicked and he opened his mouth several times to explain himself before giving up eventually. They had always been close and it was not unusual that they would watch movies cuddled  
up together. But he had never kissed her before, not even on the head. Not counting the time she kissed him when he was having a panic attack of course...

But right now she was still staring at him and he couldn't read her expression at all. She didn't look angry, which was a good sign. There were so many emotions showing in her eyes that he couldn't decipher any of them, except for maybe surprise.

All there was left to do for Stiles was waiting for her reaction. He looked into her eyes and suddenly he saw them flicker down to his lips and back up to his eyes quickly. It had happened so fast that he wasn't even sure if it had actually happened or  
if he had just imagined it.

His eyes flickered down to her lips on their own accord and Stiles was quick to look back into her eyes and keep his gaze there. But then she looked at his lips again and this time he was sure he didn't imagine it. Her gaze lingered on his lips for a  
few seconds before looking into his eyes again. And the look in her eyes had changed.

There was anticipation clearly showing in her features and Stiles knew it was now or never. There weren't many situations like this between the two when they were alone and he knew he had to go for it.

He leaned down towards her and Lydia shifted in her seat, leaning up towards him. Stiles couldn't believe he was about to finally kiss Lydia! Finally, after waiting for almost 10 years, he would kiss her. Not because of a panic attack or any other emergency  
but because they both wanted to. At least he thought they both did. He knew he did, but there were still quiet doubts in his mind if he was maybe misreading the signs.

But when Lydia shifted again and their heads were so close to each other he didn't think there was much room for misinterpretation. He was just about to close the distance between them, when the whole plane suddenly shook.

Lydia pulled back and sat up quickly and the panic had erased all the other emotions that had been in her eyes just a few seconds earlier. Stiles cursed under his breath, watching as Lydia hugged her knees tightly.

The seatbelt signs flickered back on and Stiles gently put his hand on Lydia's back and she almost jumped out of her seat.

"Sorry, but we have to put our seatbelts back on." Stiles explained calmly.

Even though he hadn't been on a plane too often, he knew that turbulences during a flight were normal and nothing to worry about.

Lydia nodded slowly and Stiles pulled her onto his lap slowly, blushing as he did, before scooting over to his seat and lifting Lydia back onto the window seat. Lydia was shaking again and Stiles draped his coat over her like a blanket after buckling  
her up.

She shifted closer to him, just a little bit, but Stiles noticed and pulled her closer into his side. She immediately leaned into him and Stiles placed his arm around her, holding her tightly to him. She stopped shaking until the plane was shaking with  
another turbulence.

Stiles murmured soothing noises into her hair and rubbed gentle circles onto her back. The plane was now shaking constantly and the intensity was increasing. Every time the plane shook especially hard, a small whimper would escape Lydia's lips and every  
single time it broke Stiles' heart. He wanted to help her so baldy, but there wasn't anything he could do but to hold and comfort her.

Stiles was glad that there were only about 45 minutes of the flight left and he hoped the turbulences would stop soon. Every few minutes the Stewardess would come to check on them and each time Stiles nodded at her with a sad smile. The Stewardess smiled  
encouragingly at him and he knew there was nothing to worry about.

About twenty minutes later, the turbulences suddenly increased by a lot and a few screams could be heard throughout the plane. Lydia sat up straight and nearly hit Stiles chin with her head.

Her eyes were wide with panic and she looked at Stiles who was on high alert. He had noticed that the Stewardess hadn't come by for the past few minutes and he had the feeling that they had to sit down.

Lydia was still staring at him and he was just about to reassure her that there was nothing to worry about, when she suddenly spoke.

"Stiles, I don't want to die!" she said quietly.

Stiles eyes widened when he realised just how scared she was.

"Lydia, listen to me", he said, trying to get through to her. "You are not going to die, okay? We're going to be fine! I promise!"

He wasn't even sure if Lydia heard him. Her eyes were wide and unfocused and she seemed to be in a kind of trance. He took her face into his hands to make her look at him but her eyes didn't focus on him, she just stared ahead.

Stiles was scared. He had never seen Lydia like this before and he couldn't comprehend how she could be fine while she was being attacked by werewolves and completely freak out like this because she was afraid of flying. Admittedly, the turbulences were  
pretty bad and Stiles didn't feel entirely comfortable either, but he wasn't feeling the pure panic Lydia must be feeling right now.

He let go of her face and she looked at the seat in front of her again, mumbling to herself. And then she suddenly turned around to him, the blank expression still on her face, and started talking frantically.

"I don't want to die. We have survived so much! Werewolves, the dread doctors, an alpha pack, nogitsunes,... Allison and Scott would be devastated and my mum... and the Sheriff, and... and... and I can't die because I haven't told him that I'm in love  
with him yet. And Stiles can't die thinking that I wasn't in love with him, I can't let that happen! That wouldn't be fair. But there was never the right moment to tell him and then there was Malia... Even though that ended a long time ago..." Lydia  
rambled, seemingly talking to herself.

Stiles just sat there gaping at her, shocked by her words and unable to believe that it was true. She was probably just really out of it and didn't know what she was saying! But didn't the truth usually come out this way? Or was that only true for when  
you were drunk?

Lydia kept rambling but Stiles was too busy thinking about what Lydia had just said so he didn't listen anymore. And although he was lost in his own thoughts he made sure that she was not getting any worse. He figured that as long as she was talking she  
would be fine, although he still worried about her.

After about 15 Minutes, the turbulences stopped. Stiles looked at Lydia and she stopped talking. She looked at him and there was still panic in her eyes, but she could focus on him again and he was beyond relieved.

The pilot informed everyone that they were about to land and sure enough, they were back on the ground safely another twenty minutes later.

Lydia hadn't said anything at all and Stiles had only tried to talk when it was necessary. She needed time to get out of her panicked state and he gave it to her. He didn't know what to say to her anyway. He was still thinking about her saying that she  
was in love with him and he couldn't get it out of his head. The worst part about it though, was the hope that had taken over his heart, no matter how hard he tried to suppress it.

Stiles' dad was picking them up from the airport and he was already waiting for them when they walked outside. They hugged each other and the Sheriff could feel the odd tension but he knew better than to ask them about it.

Stiles put their luggage into the car and held the back door open for Lydia before climbing into the front seat. He told his dad all about the turbulences and that it was pretty bad, leaving out Lydia's panic as to not make her uncomfortable.

Since the Sheriff had to go to work, he dropped them both off at Stiles' house and left for work.

"Do you want to come in or do you want me to drive you home?" Stiles asked gently.

"Can I stay here for a while? I don't want my mother to see me like this! She would just ask questions and you know..." Lydia said quietly.

Stiles nodded and carried their suitcases into his house with Lydia trailing behind him. He unlocked the door and went inside, dropping the suitcases. Lydia had been at his house countless times before and she felt comfortable and safe there. Sometimes  
even more than at her own home.

She walked into the kitchen and prepared some sandwiches for them. Now that she wasn't panicking anymore she could suddenly feel her hunger and realised that they hadn't eaten anything since breakfast before their flight! Which was about 9 hours ago.

She wanted to do something for Stiles. He had been so patient and sweet and she wanted to do something for him in return, even if it was just a small sandwich.

Stiles was sitting on the sofa, completely exhausted. He had tried his best to make Lydia feel better during the flight and even though he didn't feel like he had succeeded it had been exhausting. He could hear her rummaging around in his kitchen and  
was equally happy about her being comfortable enough at his house to make herself something to eat and the fact that she was finally going to eat something.

During the flight she had refused to eat anything and he had forgotten to eat while trying to get Lydia to eat. He was hungry now, too, but the exhaustion kept him on the couch.

He also didn't want to see Lydia right now if he was being honest with himself. He was just so confused! They hadn't really talked since the turbulences had started, and he was nervous and didn't know how to act around her. He didn't even know if she  
remembered saying what she did. And that made it so much more difficult.

Stiles was still lost in his thoughts when Lydia came in with two sandwiches, handing one to him before plopping down next to him on the sofa.

"Thanks", he simply said and took a bit of his sandwich.

"You're welcome. I wanted to do something for you after what happened on the plane..." Lydia replied, staring intently on her sandwich.

For a second Stiles thought she was talking about her saying that she was in love with him but then it occurred to him that he was talking about her panic.

"You didn't have to do that, Lydia. But thank you", Stiles said, trying to keep his voice neutral.

Lydia leaned back into the sofa and into Stiles, yawning and closing her eyes with her head on Stiles' shoulder.

A million things were running through his head and he couldn't just sit there with her and pretend that nothing happened. Apparently, Lydia could and he was getting a little frustrated. He wasn't sure if he was frustrated with her or with himself but  
he knew he couldn't just put his arm around her and have her this close to him.

He just about jumped up from the sofa, causing Lydia to sit up again and rubbing the side of her head where Stiles' shoulder had hit her head a little.

"Ouch!" Lydia said, rubbing her head but smiling at him. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine!" Stiles said, trying and failing not to sound snappy.

He went up to his room and started pacing. He had no clue what he was supposed to do. He wanted her to explain why she had said it or rather wanted to know if she even remembered saying it. But he didn't want to scare her or push her away and ruin their  
friendship.

But he needed to know. He thought about how he could bring up the topic carefully but he couldn't come up with anything. He knew he couldn't hide from her forever, especially considering that she was sitting in his living room...

"What's wrong?" Lydia asked, suddenly appearing in his doorframe and pulling him from his thoughts.

"Umm, nothing, what do you mean?" Stiles stuttered.

"You are acting really weird... are you angry at me or something?" Lydia asked worriedly.

"What? No, of course not! Why would I be angry at you?"

He felt bad for making her worry but he just couldn't be around her right now. He had gotten his hopes up and needed some space to bury all of the feelings for her that were so prominent right now. But here she was, standing right in front of him, worried  
that he was angry at her.

"Are you sure? I'm really sorry about how I acted on the plane! But to be honest, I don't even remember most of it so I'm not sure what I should apologise for exactly but I'm sorry if I did anything that hurt you..." she said quietly and Stiles felt his  
heart break a little.

"Lydia, stop! That's not it, okay? You don't have to apologise for being afraid!"

"So there is something wrong!"

Only then did Stiles notice that he had just admitted that there was something that was bothering him and she had obviously noticed it too.

"No, there is nothing! Just drop it!" He was getting defensive, trying his best to avoid talking to her, even if it meant that she would be angry with him.

Knowing Lydia, Stiles decided it was best to just leave the room because he knew she wouldn't let it go otherwise. But Lydia had seen through his plan and grabbed his arm as he tried to walk past her. She turned him back around to face her and looked  
at him, raising her eyebrow.

"Stiles!"

"What Lydia? Can't you just accept the fact that I don't want to talk to you right now?" Stiles said raising his voice with each word.

"No! I can't accept that! At least tell me why!" Lydia shouted back.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, complete silence enveloping them. They were not used to arguing, except about making sure the other one stayed safe or their theories about the current supernatural threat.

Eventually, Stiles couldn't hold her gaze any longer and looked down to his feet, sighing.

"Stiles... Just talk to me, please!" Lydia said quietly, almost begging him to tell her what's wrong. "You know you can tell me anything!"

"But I don't want... I'm afraid that... what if..." Stiles mumbled, failing to find the right words.

"You are afraid of what?" Lydia asked softly, taking a step forward and touching his arm gently.

"I'm afraid that it will ruin our friendship..." Stiles admitted after debating if he should tell her or not.

"We have been through so much together, I don't think there is a single thing that you could tell me that's going to ruin our friendship!" Lydia said sincerely.

Stiles looked up at her then and saw all the same emotion he had seen when they had... almost kissed on the plane. They had almost kissed on the plane! With Lydia all panicked and her saying that she was in love with him, it had completely slipped his  
mind. He had no idea how he could have momentarily forgotten about it, but remembering it, he was much more confident now.

Lydia was still looking at him, waiting for him to explain whatever was bothering him.

"How much do you remember from the turbulences...?" Stiles asked carefully.

"Oh no! What did I do?" Lydia asked wide eyed.

"What do you remember?" Stiles asked again. He needed her to remember what she had said. He didn't want to just tell her.

"Well, I remember that we were watching a movie and then... the turbulences started and the rest is kind of a blur..." she admitted, purposefully leaving out the fact that he had kissed her head and they had almost kissed.

"Oh..." Stiles said, disappointment obvious in his features. "That's it?"

"Now that I think about it, I remember rambling about how I didn't want to die and didn't want you to die and..." suddenly Lydia's eyes widened and Stiles knew she remembered. "Oh my god!"

Stiles watched her carefully, trying to find out what she was feeling or what she thought. He couldn't decipher all the emotions that were displaying on her face so he just waited.

"I'm so sorry, Stiles!" Lydia's eyes bored into his, making sure he understood.

"Yeah, it's okay, I know you don't feel that way about me! I... I just thought you should know that you said it..." Stiles said, taking a few steps back, looking at the ground. He knew it hadn't been a good idea to bring it up. At least now his hope was  
crushed again, retreating back into the corner of his mind where it had been for so many years now.

"I never said that..." Lydia said so quietly that he wasn't even sure she had really said it.

He looked up in surprise and found her already looking at him. They were standing five feet apart, and Stiles didn't dare to move.

"Wha... what did you say?" he asked her, just to be sure he hadn't imagined it.

"You heard me" she just replied, blushing a little before dropping her gaze to the floor.

Stiles was still standing there, gaping at her, unsure of what to do. The words she was saying and the way she was acting didn't really fit together. Stiles was pretty sure that she was telling him that she had feelings for him, but there seemed to be  
a debate in her head. Her expression kept changing as if she was arguing with herself whether she should go for it or not. And when she dropped her gaze to the floor, he knew that she had decided.

Lydia looked up at him again briefly but couldn't meet his eyes. She started looking around his room, frantically trying to find something to say. He knew she had decided not to go for it, but he also knew that it was now or never and he needed to take  
matters into his own hands. But he had waited too long.

"Um.., I think I should go", she said, more to the floor than to him.

She started walking towards his bedroom door. He was standing in her way and just as she was about to pass him, he kicked the door shut with his foot.

"Stiles..." Lydia said, her tone something between annoyed and frustrated mixed with anticipation.

She was still facing the door, her back to him, and Stiles gently grabbed her arm and turned her around to face him. He could feel her arm covering in goose bumps at his touch and his skin reacted the same way.

Lydia was looking at his hand on her arm and still wouldn't meet his gaze. Even though Stiles still had some doubts about whether this was a good idea, he needed to know if she really felt that way. There had been so many signs so he gathered all his  
courage and gently lifted her chin with his hand, forcing her to look at him.

Lydia didn't flinch or move away so he took that as a good sign and moved a little closer to her.

"Did you mean it?" he asked. It was obvious what he was talking about but he had known that Lydia was going to ask anyway.

"Mean what?" she asked innocently, her gaze flickering down to his lips before quickly looking back into his eyes again.

"That you are in love with me..." Stiles said, getting bolder by the second.

He moved his hand from her chin up to her cheek and felt her lean into his touch. Encouraged, he brought his other hand up as well and brushed a few strands of hair behind her ear before cradling her face. He moved his fingers across her cheek and felt  
her blush underneath his touch.

She was still silent, refusing to answer his question.

"Lydia, are you in love with me?" he asked again, his voice low and quiet.

He took a step forward, making Lydia step backwards until her back hit the door. Stiles saw the surprise in her eyes at his boldness and couldn't hide his smirk.

Lydia's eyes flickered down to his lips again and when she was looking back into his eyes he was struggling not to kiss her right there and then. But he needed her to answer his question first.

"Tell me, Lydia, please."

He leaned in closer, his lips only a few inches away from her face. She wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to pull him further down to her, but he didn't move.

"Lydia..." he said again softly.

Her eyes were now glued to his lips and they were so close. He could smell her perfume and it was causing him physical pain not to kiss her.

He had been waiting for this moment for almost ten years and he decided right then that he didn't need to hear it. If she wasn't ready to say it, he would wait. But now she was standing right in front of him and he could tell by the way she was looking  
at him that she had feelings for him and that was enough.

He was just about to close the remaining distance between their lips when Lydia stood up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his. He let go of her face and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him and deepening the kiss.

She melted into him and they kissed until breath became an issue. Stiles pulled away first, not moving farther away than necessary and stared at her. He couldn't believe that he had just kissed Lydia Martin.

"I love you!" Stiles blurted out suddenly. He hadn't planned on saying it, it had just slipped out.

"Uh... sorry, I didn't mean to say it!" he quickly added but when he saw the smile falter that previously had been on her lips he knew that came across wrong.

"I mean, it's not that I didn't mean it! I did, I love you, but you already know that! I just meant that I didn't plan on saying it just now, it just slipped out!"

"Stiles!" Lydia interrupted but he just kept going.

"And I obviously don't expect you to say it back or anything. We can just forget I said it if you want!" Stiles kept rambling and Lydia laughed quietly.

She placed her hands on his cheeks to get him to stop talking and look at her and when his eyes met hers again, he just wanted to kiss her again.

"Sorry..." he apologised and started playing with a strand of her hair and revelled in the feel of her hands against his cheeks. He was sure he could stay like this forever and be perfectly happy.

Lydia wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to pull him down to her again and this time he happily obliged. He was so in love with her that he was completely overwhelmed by all of the emotions that were flooding him. He pulled her as close to him  
as possible and this time Lydia was the one to pull away.

She played with the hair at the back of his neck and when Stiles was leaning in for another kiss, she stopped him. He became a little worried, but only a little, until he saw the determination and affection in her eyes.

"I love you too!" Lydia said and Stiles had never felt this happy in his entire life.


End file.
